<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>(They Long to Be) Close to You by youarenotmybus</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25018558">(They Long to Be) Close to You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/youarenotmybus/pseuds/youarenotmybus'>youarenotmybus</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Riverdale (TV 2017)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, McMantle, Reggie is so whipped</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:42:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,883</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25018558</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/youarenotmybus/pseuds/youarenotmybus</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Reggie sees Josie looking distressed at Pop's and needs to do something about it.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Reggie Mantle/Josie McCoy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>(They Long to Be) Close to You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I wrote this a hot minute ago while I was in the height of my McMantle phase. Riverfail really did do them dirty. We deserved so much more of them! So here's a little something for anyone out there who still thinks about them from time to time.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Saturday night Reggie wandered into Pop’s Chock’lit Shoppe, he was not expecting to find Josie McCoy sitting alone in one of the booths. She should’ve been surrounded by her bandmates, sharing a large order of cheese fries. Or maybe with a guy’s arm slung around her shoulder, if he’d played his cards right. Seeing Josie McCoy without some kind of entourage was a foreign sight to Reggie.</p><p>She looked gorgeous as ever. Josie was partial to changing up her look with weaves, but that night she wore her hair natural. Her off-the-shoulder top gave Reggie a clear view of her décolletage. His eyes lingered on the divot in her collarbone. A warm, flushed feeling came over him as he remembered how he’d kissed it the night of Veronica’s party. They’d been high on Jingle Jangle then, and Reggie wondered if Josie remembered being on his lap.</p><p>Though she looked stunning in the neon glow of Pop’s lights, he could tell something was wrong. She would check her phone every two seconds, giving an exasperated sigh every time she didn’t find what she was looking for. There was a pile of cheese fries in front of her, completely untouched. At one point Pop passed by her, stopping to give her shoulder a comforting squeeze. She offered a smile in return, one that didn’t quite meet her eyes.</p><p>In Reggie’s eyes, she didn’t need an old geezer like Pop Tate consoling her. She needed a knight in shining armor, and there seemed to be only one in the building.</p><p>“Josie McCoy,” he said, sliding into the red leather booth so he was sitting across from her. He could feel exasperation rolling off her in waves the moment he sat down. “Are you a magician?”</p><p>Her annoyance turned to confusion as she furrowed her brow. “What?”</p><p>“Because whenever I look at you, everyone else disappears,” he said, making his voice low and decidedly sexy.</p><p>Josie was having none of it, judging by her exaggerated eye roll. “Beat it, Mantle,” she said, glancing down at her phone again. “I’m waiting for someone.”</p><p>The pieces of the puzzle were all starting to fit together, and Reggie couldn’t believe the picture they made. Josie McCoy was being stood up? He knew there wasn’t one guy in Riverdale High who would pass up an opportunity to get cozy with the lead Pussycat.</p><p>“How about some handsome company while you wait?” Reggie said, popping one of the wasted cheese fries into his mouth.</p><p>“I’d rather be alone right now,” Josie said authoritatively, crossing her arms.</p><p>“You don’t mean that—”</p><p>“When a woman says no, she means no.”</p><p>Reggie was relentless when it came to his female conquests, but he knew Josie well enough to realize he was talking to a brick wall. </p><p>With a sigh, he rose from his seat. “Hey, if you need anyone to talk to—”</p><p>“I don’t,” she said, not even looking up from her phone. The air around them seemed to chill with her icy tone.</p><p>Giving up, Reggie staggered over to the counter where Pop gave him a sympathetic look. He was horrified as he realized Pop had witnessed that embarrassing situation. Getting rejected stung enough, but having someone watch? That was a rough blow to Reggie’s already deflated ego. He took out his phone and began scrolling through his contacts, scanning for just the right lady to inflate it again. They could go for a drive in his sports car and eventually park somewhere secluded. Maybe they could take a little Jingle Jangle, and she could tell him just how happy she was that he’d called her. Then she’d prove it to him. And then, after a while, he would…drop her off at home.</p><p>And they would part ways.</p><p>Because that was how it went with all of his dates lately. The prospect of taking a girl home for the night wasn’t thrilling anymore. And though he’d previously not been able to admit it, not even to himself, he knew why.</p><p>He didn’t want to take anyone home unless it was Josie.</p><p>Groaning, he put his head in his hands. He was too young to settle down. He was on a mission to taste all that life had to offer in the way of the opposite sex. He couldn’t waste his time mooning over one girl.</p><p>One girl who wouldn’t give him the time of day.</p><p>Against his better judgment, he looked over his shoulder at Josie. Her full lips formed a delicate pout, and her normally perfect posture was replaced with slumped shoulders. He almost couldn’t believe it, but he swore he saw her quickly whisk away tears before they could travel any further.</p><p>The ever-confident Josie McCoy, a girl who showed no cracks in her armor, had been crying in a booth at Pop’s. Reggie had seen plenty of girls cry before, but none of them broke his heart like this when they did. He’d always provided them with solace as a way of getting what he wanted. But with Josie? All urges to comfort her came from a genuine place. A place Reggie sometimes forgot existed within him.</p><p>“Pop,” he called, looking back at the old man. “Make me a chocolate chip cookie dough milkshake and send it over to Miss McCoy.”</p><p>Pop Tate gave him a knowing smile and thumbs-up. “I’m on it.”</p><p>Reggie watched Pop diligently make the drink for Josie, a treat he knew she liked almost as much as cheese fries. He knew it was nothing much, but if it cheered her up in the slightest it would be worth it.</p><p>Rarely something Reggie did didn’t involve his own personal gain. Josie was changing him day by day without even knowing it. Or maybe she wasn’t necessarily changing him. Maybe she was bringing out a side of him that had been there all along.</p><p>He tried to discreetly watch as Pop placed the milkshake in front of her. He could faintly hear her asking who had ordered it for her. Pop’s wink obviously gave her all she needed to know. Josie looked up at Reggie, still sitting at the counter. The way she looked up at him from underneath impossibly long lashes was enough to raise goose bumps along his skin. Her brown eyes were inviting and warm, holding none of the iciness they had before. He offered a small smile, something far more genuine than the usual smirks he cast her way.</p><p>Though he wanted to believe she finally wanted his company, he decided he wouldn’t make any assumptions. If he really, truly wanted to pursue Josie, he couldn’t be pushy. Josie wasn’t easy to win over.</p><p>Which was why he was totally surprised when he felt a light tap on his shoulder. He turned to see Josie standing before him, a smile tugging at her lips. </p><p>“Maybe I would like some handsome company,” she said, eliciting a grin from Reggie. “But you’re the only one around, so I guess you’ll do.”</p><p>Reggie laughed, his eyes crinkling at the corners. “Good to know you think so highly of me.”</p><p>It was Josie’s turn to laugh, her body leaning towards him as she did. “Come on,” she said, biting her lip. Reggie’s heart skipped a beat as she took his hand and led him back to her booth. He wanted nothing more than to sit on the same side as her, feeling the warmth from her body against his, but he took to the opposite side again to be safe.</p><p>“I lied,” Josie said, taking a sip from her milkshake. Reggie raised his eyebrows in response. </p><p>“I lied about waiting for somebody. I mean, I was, but not for the someone you might’ve been expecting.”</p><p>“Who said I was expecting anything?” Reggie countered, scratching the back of his head.</p><p>“Please, Mantle,” she said, placing her elbows on the table and leaning forward. “I can spot jealousy from a mile away.”</p><p>The satisfied look on Josie’s face was unbelievably attractive to Reggie, who felt his body temperature rising more with every second. He prayed he wasn’t blushing.</p><p>“So who were you waiting for?” he said, hoping to take the attention off him (something he never thought he’d be trying to do).</p><p>Josie’s face visibly fell. He could feel something in her shift, her mood darkening instantly.</p><p>“My dad,” she said, looking down at the table. Her fingers traced every scratch in its surface as her thoughts seemed to visibly churn.  “We were supposed to meet here tonight for a father-daughter date. Looks like he’s forgotten.”</p><p>It didn’t go unnoticed by Reggie that she couldn’t bring herself to look up at him. He wondered if she was about to cry again and didn’t want him to see. He knew Josie had a rough relationship with her father based on passing comments.</p><p>“Hey,” he said, reaching across the table and gently tilting her chin upward. He could see those dark, arresting eyes glimmering with the promise of tears. </p><p>Screw it. He was going to sit next to her.</p><p>To his surprise, she leaned into him, burying her face in his shirt. Maybe she was looking for comfort, or perhaps she just wanted to hide her crying from the rest of the diner. Whatever the reason, Reggie was glad to oblige, stroking her arm soothingly. Every time he heard her breath hitch with sobs he pulled her a little closer against him. For once there wasn’t an ounce of selfishness behind his efforts. All he wanted was to be there for her in this moment. </p><p>“I’m sorry,” Josie said, suddenly pulling away. “I’m going to go to the ladies room.”</p><p>“Sorry for what?” Reggie asked, gently grasping her wrist before she could leave.</p><p>Josie looked around the room, her eyes eventually landing on where she’d stained his shirt with her tears.</p><p>“I’m sorry I ruined your shirt.”</p><p>“Nah, don’t think twice about it,” he said, knowing full well that wasn’t what she was apologizing for. He slid out of the booth, letting Josie get up and go to the ladies room.</p><p>“Josie?” he called before she disappeared.</p><p>She turned to face him, still looking beautiful despite her puffy eyes and tousled hair. He sat there, knowing what he wanted to say but unsure of how he wanted to say it.</p><p>“I’ll be here. Ordering us a couple more shakes while I wait.”</p><p>Josie smiled gratefully, holding it a little longer than necessary.</p><p>Reggie had wanted to tell her he would be there all night if she wanted. He would sit with her and talk about her relationship with her dad. Or, if that was too touchy of a subject, he would sit there with her and talk about anything and everything else, sipping chocolate chip cookie dough milkshakes. He would sit across from her or beside her, whichever she preferred. Because at the end of the day, all he wanted to do was be with her, no matter what that entailed.</p><p>Of course, he couldn’t say any of that. He was trying to take it slow, no matter how painful that was. With every other girl he’d been on the fast track, racing for the prize.</p><p>But Josie wasn’t like any other girl to him. For her, he would wait.</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>